The present invention relates generally to fishing lures and more specifically to fishing lures having skirts.
Fishing lures having skirts have been know for years. One common application of a skirt is a skirt trailing a "jig" type fishing lure. A typical jig type lure would include a fish hook with a lead body and a trailing skirt typically consisting of a bundle of individual strands of material such as, for example, rubber or plastic fastened behind the weighted body. The strands of the skirt material may be anchored to the rearward portion of the body or alternatively, anchored to a portion of the shank of the hook. The strands generally cover or partially cover the point and reverse bend of the fish hook.
It is standard practice in the industry to paint the lead bodies of jigs by dipping the body and eyelet portion of the lures into a liquid paint. While this painting process provides a decorative or attractive finish upon the body of the jig, it also tends to seal the eyelet of the lure. Prior to use of the lure, the eyelet must be reopened. Reopening while the paint is still soft requires a significant amount of labor which in turn raises the price of the lure. Alternatively, if the painted eyelet is left to be opened by the fisherman, the cured paint has become brittle and the finish upon the jig body is damaged by the fisherman.
The alternative of not painting a jig tends to leave a rather unattractive and somewhat ineffective lead oxide finish upon the body of the lure.
Another desirable feature in fishing lures is a weedless feature. By "weedless" is meant that the lure is generally resistant to snagging on the weeds or weed beds encountered in fishing situations. Generally, modifications to lures which tend to render them weedless, also tend to reduce the lure's fishing effectiveness.
Another desirable feature for manufacturers of fishing tackle is the ability to easily assemble fishing lures. This is also a desirable feature for fisherman since it either reduces the cost of finished lures or allows fishing lures to be assembled on a do-it-yourself basis. Associated with such a desirable feature would be the ability to produce a wide range of exterior finishes or appearances on a common lure base, such as jigs.
Another deficiency often encountered in fishing is abrasion or fraying of the fishing line at or close to the knot which attaches the fishing lure to the fishing line.